Bobbio

Overview

Landscape and outskirts

The river Trebbia and the valley

History

Main sights

• The Bobbio Abbey: Open to the public the long ground floor corridor, the main cloister; the service yard; the Abbey Museum, recently restored and enlarged, collects remarkable works and art objects of Roman, Medieval and Renaissance Age, and Town Museum is a sort of didactic journey, whose admittance is from the southern wing of the cloister, the only one that guards the original portico.
• Saint Columbanus Basilica: Built between 1456 and 1522 on the remains of the proto-Romanesque church of the 10th century. Frescos in the nave are by Bernardino Lanzani from the town San Colombano al Lambro ; the remarkable wooden choir in the Gothic style is dated 1488. In the crypt: a 12th-century floor mosaic; Saint Columbanus' marble sarcophagus made by Giovanni de Patriarchi ; two marble pluteos used as tombstones of Saint Attala and Saint Bertulf; and a beautiful 12th-century wrought iron gate.
• The Old Bridge: the long Ponte Vecchio, which spans the Trebbia by means of eleven unequal arches, is known to have existed before 1196 and may be of Roman origin. From its curious and irregular shape it is commonly called the ‘Hunchback Bridge’; also the ‘Devil’s Bridge’ after many legends: the famous legend tells that it was built by the Devil in one night after he made a pact with Saint Columbanus who promised him the soul of the first passerby; but when the bridge was finished the Irish Saint sent a dog. The other legend is in which a man tricks Satan into rebuilding it overnight after it has been destroyed by a flood. In reality the bridge did need to be reconstructed after flood damage in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• The Malaspina-Dal Verme Castle
• The Castellaro
• The Cathedral Square, with the old arcades and historic buildings.
• The Cathedral

• The Saint Francis' Square.
• Saint Francis' church and Monastery: built according to the unrefined 13th-century Saint Francis style. The monastery maintained the original shape while the church was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century in baroque style. Worth of mention is the beautiful inner cloister with squat pillars that sustain four crossvault covered spans on each side and over which runs a wooden loggia with precious medieval capitals columns.
• Saint Lawrence church: built probably in the 12th century it was enlarged during the 17th century. Still visible on the left side are parts of the ancient building while on the right outer wall are two tablets also from the previous church.
• The Virgin Mary's Help Sanctuary: it encloses the remains of the 15th-century church decorated with a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary. In 1611 it was said to have dripped sweat from the forehead. It was given the present baroque classical style in 1641.

• The Abbey Museum: It collects remarkable works and art objects of Roman, Medieval and Renaissance Age. Of Roman period: the Cocceia family sarcophagus, four cinerary urns, a pagan altar dedicated to Diana and an alabaster Hydra dating back to the 3rd century. Other noteworthy pieces are the longobard stones, the 8th-century tombstone of Cumianus, tin votive ampullae, the Orpheus ivory shrine and the wrought silver Saint Colunbanus bust. In the picture gallery a polyptyc by Luini representing the Assumption.
• The Town Museum: sited in the ancient refectory and service room, is a didactic journey through the history of Bobbio and can be a sort of introduction to all the other historical places of the town. The first section is dedicated to the life and works of the Irish Saint, while the second section looks at the monastic complex from an architectonic point of view, on a computer runs a program for a virtual visit of the building, but it is also about the famous Scriptorium that made Bobbio the greatest cultural centre of northern Italy. The dressing made of light and transparent supports completed by multimedial means is perfectly integrated with the monumental space of the monastery and its educational aim.
• The monastery of Santa Chiara and Palazzo Comunale.
• The ex Church of Our Lady of Grace: ex-hospital pharmacy monastic abbey of the 9th century, now cinema since 1910 and hostel.
• The ex Convent and Saint Nicolas' Church.
• The ancient Palaces Bobbiensis: Palace of Porta Nova with arcades, Castelli Palace, Brugnatelli Palace, Palace of pharmacy, Malaspina, Tamburelli Palace and municipal hostel, Olmi , Alcarini , Calvi Palace, Donati Palace with the alley of the Strict, Buelli Palace, etc.
• Porta Fringuella Square: with the arcades of the 12th century.
• Ancient district of St. Joseph.
• The district said Borgo with ancient walls and the Mill Ocelli.
• The old mills: Mill of the City, Mill district of St. Joseph, Bishop's Mill.
• The Therm of Bobbio.

  Main sights in the surrounding area

• Pass Penice,, is at the foot of Monte Penice, which is a mountain of the Ligurian. It connects Staffora valley with Trebbia valley. It is located along the former State Road 461 Passo del Penice. In the square there is a statue of Columbanus appointed protector of motorcyclists. From here the road that leads to the summit and the sanctuary. In the winter months there is active the ski resort.
• Ceci and sports center in cross-country skiing Le Vallette.
• The ancient village of San Salvatore and the twists and turns on Trebbia. The little church was built in 975, with subsequent amendments, as the oratory of the monastic cell documented in the 9th century.
• Parish Church of St. Polycarp, in the hamlet of Ceci. The church was built with the monastic cell of the 9th century.
• Parish Church of St. Peter, in the hamlet of Dezza. The church was built with the monastic cell of the 10th century, rebuilt in the 16th century.
• Parish Church of St. Paul, in the village of Mezzano Scotti. The church was built as a monastery of S. Paul in 891, destroyed in the 15th century, the current building was rebuilt after the 18th century.
• Parish Church of St. Christopher, in the homonymous hamlet of St. Christopher. The new church was built in 1910, replacing the previous arose as a monastic cell documented in 972 of which still remain in ruins.
• Parish Church of St Mary of Carmel, in the village of Santa Maria. The church was built in the 16th century, replacing the previous arose as a monastic cell documented in 862.
• Parish Church of Saint Eustace, in the hamlet of Vaccarezza. The church was built as a monastic cell documented in 862, was remodeled several times over the centuries. Near the church is located Villa Costanza, former palace of the Malaspina.
• Sanctuary of St. Mary in Monte Penice. Ancient place of worship, the church is documented in the 11th century, the current building dates back to the 17th century.
• Ethnographic Museum Trebbia.
• Castle of Dego , a fortress built in the 13th century Malaspina currently.
• Castle of Scotti, a fortress built in 1488 in the resort of Poggio hamlet Areglia by Bartolomeo Scotti, destroyed by the Dal Verme in 1516, was rebuilt after a while, currently renovated.
• The old mill Erbagrassa near the hamlet of Ceci currently teaching as a mill visit.
• Tower of Cadonica, built in the homonymous hamlet, as a new monastic seat in 1460 along with the new monastery, after the abandonment and destruction of the Monastery of S. Paul Mezzano, near the Oratory of the Mill.
• The Stone Parcellara is a mountain of ophiolite serpentine black, although not particularly tall dominates the surrounding hills from which protrudes abruptly breaking away in morphology, color and grandeur. It allows, from the top, a panoramic view of the whole valley. It is accessed by two roads: one going up from Travo passing through the hamlet of Chiosi, the other coming from the step of Caldarola, you get to the top with a fairly easy trail in about ten minutes. At the foot of the stone there is the ancient oratory of Our Lady of Caravaggio, in the service of the parish church of Mezzano Scotti.
• Embrisi, a small abandoned village in hamlet of Embrici above the village of Mezzano Scotti, there is the presence of old stone buildings and local artifacts and sculptures carved in sandstone, very interesting faces and heads apotropaic.
• The Carlone Valley with the thermal waterfall with thermal springs near the ancient middle ages village San Cristoforo and the old escursonistic Sentiero medioevale per il Santuario del Monte Penice: 5 km. from Bobbio.

  Thermal springs

Culture

In literature and cinema

• The director Marco Bellocchio, whose family is originally from Bobbio, shot in the city and its whereabouts his first successful film, Fists in the Pocket. Many bobbiesi starred in the film as extras. He also edited each year cultural activities related to cinema, particularly by the Laboratory Farecinema and Bobbio Film Festival.
• The monastery of Bobbio and its library – the richest of the early centuries of the Middle Ages – are mentioned in the novel by Umberto Eco The name of the rose.

  Film festival

Literary contest

Palio delle Contrade

Music and dancing

• I Musetta: Tilion / Attilio Rocca of Ozzola, Piercarlo Cardinali of Piacenza and Bani / Ettore Losini of Degara play at soul feasts and celebrations and brought these music abroad].
• The Enerbia: Maddalena Scagnelli, Franco Guglielmetti, Stefano Faravelli and Massimo Braghieri.
• A pair of younger musicians, originally from Cassolo, Gabriele Dametti the piper accompanied by Davide Follini the accordion.

  Gerberto Choir – City of Bobbio

Gastronomy and local products

• macaroni bobbies ;
• pine nut ricotta ;
• lasagne bobbies ;
• the bobbies stew ;
• snails bobbies. There is a festival dedicated to and consumed on Christmas Eve in the best restaurants ;
• almond cake, all year round in ovens and bakeries of Bobbio ;
• the cake Sandy
• the croccante, a sort of almond sweetmeat.
• Christmas cake.
• mustard fruit.

Honors environmental and historic cultural

Annual events

• The parties and parades of Carnival
• The feast of St. Joseph and Spring
• The Rally Valli Piacentine
• The Fair of St. John
• The Appennino Folk Festival
• The gourmet feast and musical Irish music in Ireland
• The Bobbio Film Festival of Marco Bellocchio
• The exhibition antique market
• The Feast of Assumption with fires evening
• The Bobbio-Passo Penice
• The grape festival, and shows the mushroom and truffle
• The medieval feast of St. Columban
• The snail festival and Christmas market

Patronal fiestas and principal religious feasts

• May Ascension
• 31 May
• 5 June Madonna aid
• 7 June and 21 October Sant Antonio Maria Gianelli
• 15 August Santa Maria Assunta
• second Sunday in September: Our Lady of Peniche
• 23 November St. Columban

  Road routes and transport

1. By Piacenza after the exit from Motorway A1, take the ring road to the stadium, then we arrive at the junction of the Galleana, located at the southern outskirts the city, where he began the main road to Val Trebbia: Strada Statale 45 di Val Trebbia – SS45, which goes to SW for 45 km towards Genoa;
2. By Milan or Bologna, Piacenza achieved by Motorway A1 or through Via Emilia, take the State Road 45 Val Trebbia – SS45 direction Bobbio – Genoa;
3. By Turin, Cremona or Brescia, Piacenza achieved by Motorway A21, take the State Road 45 Val Trebbia – SS45 in direction Bobbio – Genoa;
4. By Genoa and the Italian Riviera, you climb up along the Val Bisagno to leave the city, across the road from Val Trebbia: Strada Statale 45 di Val Trebbia – SS45 towards Piacenza, which touches the towns of Liguria Bargagli, Torriglia, Montebruno, Rovegno, Gorreto and those of Emilia Ottone and Corte Brugnatella ;
5. By Chiavari and the Italian Riviera, both for the former State Route 586 Valley dell'Aveto – SP 586 through Rezzoaglio and Val Aveto to Marsaglia or head for the Val Fontanabuona by the route Provincial 225 Val Fontanabuona – SP 225 to Bargagli and incorporated in the State Road 45 Val Trebbia – SS45 towards Piacenza ;
6. By Recco through the Provincial Road 333 – SP 333 to Gattorna and then the Strada Provinciale 225 – SP 225 to Bargagli and always attach the State Road 45 Val Trebbia – SS45 towards Piacenza ;
7. By Voghera by Varzi and the Monte Penice Pass for the former State Road 461 Pass Penice – SP 461 ;
8. By Castel San Giovanni through the Val Tidone and the passing of Monte Penice Pass for the former State Route 412 Val Tidone – SP 412.

Twin cities

• – Ybbs an der Donau, Austria
• – Navan, County Meath, Ireland